The most important word in Oman’s property market for foreigners is not a location, it is an acronym: ITC. Integrated Tourism Complexes are the key route for foreign property ownership in Oman. Examples of ITCs are Al-Mouj Muscat and Muscat Hills. The System of the Ownership of Real Estate in Integrated Tourism Complexes sets the ownership framework, and its executive regulation fills in the operational detail, outlining the licensing criteria a site must meet and the conditions attached to ownership.
What an ITC actually is
ITC’s are essentially designated areas which the government has allocated specifically for tourism and residential developments. Article 1 of the Executive Regulation of the System of the Ownership of Real Estate in Integrated Tourism Complexes sets out a more extensive definition of ITC’s. Qualifying as an ITC, however, is not automatic. Article 5 of the executive regulation lays out the licensing requirements, and some of them are more specific than buyers might expect. A complex must sit on at least 200,000 square metres of land, suited to commercial, residential, or touristic use, and the developer must first secure preliminary plans approved by both the Ministry of Tourism and the Governmental Licensing Committee. Other conditions are less expected: the site must be at least 20 kilometres from Oman’s international border, non-touristic real estate cannot exceed half the land used for construction, and, perhaps most tellingly, the number of residential units in the complex can never exceed the number of hotel units. An ITC, by design, has to remain a tourism project first and a residential one second. This does not mean every unit has to look like a resort. Ordinary residential real estate can account for as much as half of an ITC’s built area, so buyers can find standard homes and apartments within these zones, not just hotel-style properties.
Buying inside vs outside an ITC
Outside an ITC, the default rule is restrictive. In 2018, Royal Decree 29/2018 issued a law prohibiting non-Omanis owning land and real estate in certain areas. This includes entire governorates, specific wilayats, islands, and land near military and archaeological sites. Integrated Tourism Complexes are the deliberate exception to that rule. Any sale, transfer, or other ownership made in breach of law is void from the outset. Anyone affected can demand its nullification, and under article 9, the court must rule on it even if neither party raised the issue, meaning the prohibition cannot be quietly bypassed by agreement between the parties. Violations carry imprisonment of 3 months to 2 years and fines between 1,000 and 5,000 Rial Omani under article 10, with the higher penalties applying where fraud is involved. Inside a licensed ITC, none of this applies. Non-Omani owners can be granted residency for themselves and their immediate family, an initial two-year term that renews automatically in six-year cycles for as long as they hold the property. That certainty, however, still depends on getting the registration right.
Where the new Registry Law fits in
Registration in Oman is no longer the same process it was a year ago. As of May 2026, that process now runs through the Real Estate Registry Law of 2026. To prove ownership of land under the Real Estate Registry Law, an individual needs an official paper or electronic document issued by the ministry, known as the mulkiya. It is the only proof of ownership recognised by law, signed and issued by the Secretariat of the Real Estate Registry. This applies to non-Omani buyers too. Article 12 expressly permits registrations in the name of non-Omanis or legal persons, in accordance with the laws governing ownership eligibility, meaning the ITC system covered earlier. Yet none of this applies unless the underlying transaction is registered in the first place. Article 10 makes clear that any disposition creating or transferring a real estate right, including court judgments, has no effect beyond a personal obligation between the two parties unless it is registered, an unregistered sale does not bind anyone else. The system also has teeth against fraud: obtaining registration through falsified documents now carries up to three years imprisonment and fines reaching 30,000 Rial Omani.
Due diligence
Before paying anything, buyers should confirm the development is a genuinely licensed ITC, and not simply marketed as one, since that status requires government approval and specific licensing criteria. Additionally, buyers are encouraged to ensure the developer holds a valid licence under the Law Regulating Real Estate, and that the transaction is actually being registered with the Secretariat of the Real Estate Registry, with the mulkiya issued as proof. For pre-construction purchases, this means confirming registration in the Preliminary Real Estate Registry rather than relying on a private sale agreement alone. Buying property in Oman as a foreigner comes down to two questions: is this an ITC, and is it properly registered. Get both right, and the rest of the process is straightforward.
While ITCs remain the primary path for foreigners to buy property in Oman, it is worth noting that the Law of Special Economic Zones and Free Zones of 2025 creates a new parallel framework for creating free-hold residential projects in which foreigners are permitted to own projects, but no such projects are available in the market until now.
For further detail on Integrated Tourism Complexes, the full text of the System is linked below.
